Swiss content security company NAGRA has partnered Korean set-top maker KAON to create a new end-to-end Android TV solution for pay TV operators.

The new platform will include content security services offered through NAGRA’s Android Fast Track program, which is an ecosystem of technologies, partners and services designed to speed the transition to Android TV.

KAON will contribute a hybrid set-top equipped with Broadcom BCM7268 chipset, allowing operators to deliver managed services alongside popular OTT apps, all in compliance with the Google Media CAS framework for Android TV deployments.

“We look forward to leveraging our expertise in securing Android TV deployments and our Fast Track ecosystem to drive even more opportunities for pay-TV operators wanting to take advantage of the Android TV opportunity while helping them protect their premium content assets from new forms of piracy,” said Maurice Van Riek, senior VP and head of content and asset security at NAGRA, in a statement.

In April, Google reported that 140 pay TV operators worldwide had deployed its Android TV platform, which lets operators mix managed service delivery of video channels alongside the Google Play store, and the popular OTT apps that come with it.

NAGRA and KAON face plenty of competition, with CommScope and TiVo among the tech vendors already offering Android TV-based hybrid products. 

A year after launching its cloud-based, pre-integrated, ready-to-launch OTT solution OpenTV Signature Edition at IBC in Amsterdam, Nagra is using the show to promote Android TV support for the product.

OpenTV Signature Edition will now feature an Android TV Operator Tier solution, enabling on-boarding of apps and SVOD services in an operator-branded user experience.

OpenTV Signature combines the OS, experience/interface and player alongside pre-integrated set-top box hardware, including a 4K-ready box from SmarDTV, and support for third-party apps such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.

"Operating within an end-to-end TV framework like OpenTV Signature Edition, an Android TV-based solution offers pay-TV operators a compelling TV experience that engages consumers and drives active content monetization," said Holger Ippach, senior VP of the user experience product unit for Nagra, in a statement. "We have been successfully embracing Android for mobile devices and tablets for years, and now with support for Android TV, we can help our customers benefit from everything it has to offer.”

Also at IBC, Nagra announced that its TVkey Cloud product, which brings pay-TV services directly to Internet-connected smart TVs without the need for any external device, would be available for Samsung smart TVs.